Month: May 2011

This morning, Luke crawled into bed with us. As he was cuddling, he looked over at my belly and said, “Mommy’s belly reaches up to God in Heaven.”

You have to understand that on Wednesday night, he and Drew made little Towers of Babel in their Sunday school class. He learned about the tower that was supposed to reach to God. I think he missed the point of the lesson.

This morning, I had a delightful surprise! I heard the boys head downstairs and immediately got up to remind them that are not allowed downstairs without permission. Will started to cry and said they wanted to surprise me. I told him okay. A short time later, three little boys came tramping up the stairs and into my bedroom. One boy carried a plate with a bowl of cereal on it. Another boy carried a glass of water. The third little boy carried a picture that they had drawn for me, depicting Jonathan, myself, and the three little boys holding hands outside. Very excitedly, they informed me that they had brought me breakfast in bed. They disappeared again to bring a silk napkin and my glucometer. Once again, they left and reappeared with breakfast for themselves, along with napkins and place-mats which they set up at the food of my bed. They then adorably sang, “We wish you a happy Mother’s Day!” No one put them up to this, but they thought of this all on their own. I laughed, smiled, and gave some huge hugs and kisses. What a delightful gift and encouragement our little boys are! …And to think that they are only 6, 5, and 3!

The boys and I have this fun thing we do before bed. I just love it and treasure it because I know that it is one of those things that will end in a few years. Yup, I get the poochey lip when I consider that this is time-limited.

Tonight as I was tucking Drew into bed, he said, “Mommy, let’s do ‘butterfly kisses’.” So we did “butterfly kisses.” I then said, “How about ‘Eskimo kisses’?” It is so sweet to share these precious moments with my cute little guys! I love the fact that I can still give them huge “smoochies”, as Drew calls them and great big “bear hugs.” Why do I so easily forget this when I tire of messes and behaviors that need to be improved?

Lord, remind me that today is such a blessing and treasure that can only be enjoyed today.

I wonder if Jonathan will deliver this baby! Why do I say that? I don’t think that I will know when I am actually in labor until I am quite far along. I have had so many contractions leading up to her delivery that it’s going to take me hours of labor before I even know it’s the real thing. Last night and into today, I have been having lots of back contractions. My back is getting a little tired of the pain. I am hoping this means that the real deal with be fast and not too difficult. I can think positively, right?!! 🙂

I am getting so close though, and it is so hard to believe that soon — very soon we will actually be holding our little girl. The boys are excited too! I can’t wait to see their reactions to her! As Luke says, “She’ll wear dresses so she can be a beauty.” I love that little guy; he says the sweetest things!

I am so blessed when I consider that I have not just three little boys but now another little one to raise — our first daughter! How amazing is that?!!!

I have officially become a “soccer, softball, and soon-to-be swim mom”! That’s me! I know there is the whole stigma about it: minivans, ponytails, bad driving skills… Two of those descriptions do fit me: I drive a minivan, and I often wear my hair in a ponytail for their practices. I am not ashamed of my minivan though — I happen to love it and am very thankful for it. As soon as we started to minivan shop, my dream was to get a beige Honda Odyssey with leather seats. God in His kindness provided one for us. I am so thankful for not just four wheels that get us places we need to go but for a nice vehicle that runs well, so far.

Ponytails aren’t that bad really. Besides, I do plan to get a new hair-cut and soon. It’s nice to have hair that is so versatile. If only I was more talented in arranging/styling it better. 🙂

As far as driving goes, I try to be a safe driver so I hope that my record stays good.

I, for one, love to take my kids to practices and games. It’s part of being a mom and loving my kids and loving life with them. I love watching them and knowing that they are watching for me. I love hearing the questions afterwards, “Mom, did you see me kick the ball?” and “Mom, my team won!” I smile and laugh as I see their personalities emerge even in the game. …One boy who is so preoccupied with everything around him that he often forgets to watch the ball. …One boy who needs lots of affirmation and is afraid to really go after the ball but is so happy when he does get to kick it. Such tender hearts! Amazing to think that I can help build healthy confidence in them because of who God made them to be!

My third son is rearing to go. He so wants to play. I think he’ll be quite the sports’ player because he has skills and is very driven and very focused. Time will tell, of course. Whether he is average, extraordinary, or fails, he’ll still be my son; and I will always treasure him.

Thanks, God, for loving me too and cheering for me — not based on my abilities but because You love me!

Ever since we moved to our latest home, I have been praying that someone would be willing to carpool with my husband. He has been trying and trying to no avail. Thanks to the rising gas prices — that’s one positive side — he finally has some takers. This week, he has been able to carpool four days out of the five. I am so thankful! Maybe, we can keep from replacing his car in the next five years after all. The gas savings are essential too. I kept wondering why no one wanted to carpool with the environmental and economical issues at stake. Thankfully, it’s finally working out! The plus side is that I also get my husband home earlier. He has to get up a lot of earlier for work, but he gets home earlier. That makes me very happy! 🙂

I confess that of all the seasons, I love spring best. I really do enjoy all the seasons, but there is something so invigorating about the fresh air of spring, the gorgeous flowers, the perfect temperatures (for the most part), and my renewed desire to get outside and simply dig in the dirt that really fills my senses to overflowing. The other Saturday as I was working in our gardens, I looked up at Jonathan and said, “I think one of my favorite things to do is to dig in the dirt.” He smiled in return and said, “You must be a mommy of boys.” I just love weeding, cleaning out my gardens, planting new flowers, mulching, and then taking lots of pictures. I have so many visions of what I hope to do each year with our gardens. Someday, I hope to have my sons and their families come here for a visits to enjoy our lovely, relaxing gardens. I know that I am crazy, but I already am thinking of what things I can do to make it special for them when they visit. I want to be the kind of mother-in-law that my sons’ wives love to visit. I also want our home to be a place of relaxation and refreshment for them. I hope I can remember all that when that time comes, Lord-willing. It’s easy to forget what it was like when your own kids were young.

I also love to picture working with my sweet husband in our gardens together, enjoying God’s creation together. I love my husband and anticipate enjoying each season of life with him, Lord-willing!

As I sit here typing these words, even now, my eyes stray to the windows to look out at my lovely gardens with their bright colors. How thankful I am that God decided to create a colorful world for us to enjoy!

We are getting ready at our house for a new baby and for a new bathroom! Jonathan has been ripping out old walls so we can put in a new bathroom downstairs. I can’t wait to have a bathroom that we can easily access without always climbing stairs. It will also have a shower, which will be great when company comes. No more needing to have company trek through our bedroom in order to use our shower. My only concern is will this get done in time before Baby arrives. I really want the mess out of the house before then. I guess that’s the main job and putting in our garden before Baby arrives. Of course, I want to clean my attic too, but I have decided to be realistic and to not hold onto that expectation. My dear husband is doing all he can with the time he has to get the bathroom done.

It’s hard to believe how soon our little one will be here. I love to look into her drawers at the adorable clothing and imagine her wearing it all. The only thing I have left to do is to pack my bags, and that I am definitely waiting to do until we are much closer to her due date. 🙂

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